Footwear with finished platform

ABSTRACT

A method for making footwear using a finished platform. The method includes providing a finished platform having a peripheral side region; providing an outsole unit; and providing an upper attached to the peripheral side region of the finished platform. The finished platform includes an insole, a sock lining unit, having a peripheral portion for seaming and stitching, which is attached to an upper surface of the insole, and a wrapper covering the peripheral side region of the finished platform, the wrapper seamed to the peripheral portion of the sock lining unit. The present method provides the advantage of having a finished platform which can readily receive an upper. This allows a simple and economical attachment of the upper to a finished platform, efficiently streamlining manufacturing and production of completed shoes, making a simple and cost-favorable shoe production possible.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to method of making footwear.

BACKGROUND

[0002] A variety of constructions for making footwear are used by thefootwear industry. For the most part, each footwear construction hascharacteristics that make it particularly well-suited for efficientmanufacturing and ease of production. Typically, in an effort to improvethe comfort, durability, and the aesthetic appeal of the footwear, anumber of different assembly methods can be used.

SUMMARY

[0003] In a general aspect of the invention, a method for makingfootwear includes providing a finished platform having a peripheral sideregion; providing an outsole unit; and providing an upper attached tothe peripheral side region of the finished platform. The finishedplatform includes an insole; a sock lining unit having a peripheralportion for seaming and stitching, the sock lining unit attached to anupper surface of the insole; and a wrapper covering the peripheral sideregion of the finished platform, the wrapper seamed or stitched to theperipheral portion of the sock lining unit.

[0004] In embodiments of the invention, one or more of the followingfeatures may also be included. The insole of the finished platformincludes a foam insole cover adhesively attached to the upper surface ofthe insole, a fiber tuck, and a steel shank. The finished platform ismolded for heel height for a heel positioned in a heel portion of theunderside region of the finished platform.

[0005] In certain embodiments, the wrapper forms a bottom cover havingan outsole region marked for attachment of the outsole unit and a shankarea for joining the bottom cover. The outsole region marked forattachment is positioned in the forepart of the bottom cover and theoutsole unit is cemented and stitched to the outsole region marked forattachment. The bottom cover is seamed or stitched in the shank area ofthe bottom cover, and the bottom cover is further attached adhesively tothe peripheral side region of the finished platform. The bottom cover ismade of the same material as the upper.

[0006] As yet another feature, the upper is hand-sewn around the entireperiphery of the finished platform with Opanka stitch series against theperipheral side region of the finished platform, thereby joining theupper to the finished platform.

[0007] Additionally, the sock lining unit comprises a sock forepart anda skeleton sock backpart, both adhesively attached to the foam insolecover. The sock lining unit further comprises a sock lining pad placedover a heel portion of the finished platform, covering the skeleton sockbackpart.

[0008] According to another aspect of the invention, the insole is madeof molded rubber material. The insole has an insole cavity in the uppersurface for attaching the sock lining unit. And a foam insole cover isplaced in the insole cavity and adhesively attached to the insolecavity.

[0009] In certain embodiments, the wrapper is a strip made from a samematerial as the upper, and the wrapper is attached to the sock liningunit by Opanka stitch series. The wrapper stitched to the sock liningforms an opening for the placement of the insole, and the wrapper isadhesively fixed to a side and a bottom periphery region of the insole.

[0010] As yet another feature, the upper is marked for hand-sewing withOpanka stitch series for placement of awl, and the upper is pre-punchedwith dots for hand-sewing. The upper is hand-sewed to the sock liningunit by Opanka stitch series simultaneously stitching the finishedplatform to the sock lining.

[0011] In certain embodiments, the finished platform has a plurality ofcavities in the underside region for reducing the weight of the platformand giving it elasticity.

[0012] In embodiments of the invention, the outsole unit is made ofmolded rubber and has a cavity to accommodate the finished platform anda shank cavity to fix a steel shank cavity therein.

[0013] Additionally, a sole cement is applied to a bottom surface of thefinished platform and an upper surface of the outsole unit foradhesively attaching the finished platform to the outsole unit.

[0014] According to yet another aspect of the invention, a method formaking footwear includes attaching an insole to a sock lining unithaving a peripheral portion for seaming and stitching; providing andsecuring a wrapper covering an underside region of the insole; attachingthe finished platform to an outsole unit; and, securing an upper to theperipheral side region of the finished platform. Moreover, the wrapperis seamed to the peripheral portion of the sock lining unit. The wrapperattached to the insole forms a finished platform which has a peripheralside region.

[0015] Embodiments may have one or more of the following advantages.

[0016] A method for making footwear using the present invention providesthe benefit of having a finished platform which can readily receive anupper. This permits simple and economical attachment of the upper to afinished platform.

[0017] In other words, in the process for completing the shoe, theadvantage lies in providing a method of making footwear which reducesthe need for complicated machinery or highly skilled workers. Given afinished platform to which an upper can be quickly attached to, theprocess efficiently streamlines production and manufacturing of shoes.This eliminates the need for working with various components which maydelay production for the completed shoes. Thus, the method makes asimple and cost-favorable production possible.

[0018] Another advantage is that the process of sewing the upper to afinished platform gives added resilience and resistance to all thecomponents of the shoe, protecting them from deterioration and leadingto prolonged life of the shoe. With prolonged wearing, the finishedplatform is less prone to deformation due to its resilience andstrength.

[0019] In addition, this method of making footwear inherently enhancesthe overall appearance of the footwear by permitting genuine hand-sewnseams, all around the periphery of the shoe. Another advantage of thisshoe is enhanced comfort provided by the cushioned layers of thefinished platform, significantly reducing foot and leg muscle fatigue,as well as the fashionable style resulting from these functionalcomponents.

[0020] Thus, the upper is enhanced by hand-sewn seams all around theperiphery of the shoe, giving it a finished, aesthetically superiorquality. The pre-engineered apertures used for creating the hand-sewnseams ensure accuracy of seaming and wrapping locations as required forimproved fitting qualities.

[0021] The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are setforth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022]FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a footwear.

[0023]FIG. 2 is a pictorial exploded view of the components of thefootwear of FIG. 1.

[0024]FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the footwear of FIG. 1.

[0025]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the footwear of FIG. 1.

[0026]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment.

[0027]FIG. 6 is a pictorial exploded view of the components of thefootwear of FIG. 5.

[0028]FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the footwear of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Referring now to the figures in which identical elements arenumbered identically throughout, a description of the embodiments of thepresent invention will now be provided.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 1, a sandal-type shoe 10 includes a shoe upper12, an outsole unit 50, an insole 40, and a sock lining unit 30.

[0031] Shoe upper 12 has a vamp that can have various types of designsand constructions. The shoe upper 12 is shown stitched to a finishedplatform 20, forming the internal spacing where the wearer's foot isinserted (not shown). The upper 12 may include an opening for the toes.The shoe upper 12 is preferably made of leather and may also include aninner liner sewed to the inner surface of upper 12 which can befabricated of materials (e.g., soft leather) selected to provide comfortto the wearer during walking. Prior to attachment to other components ofthe shoe 10, the shoe at this stage, includes a sewed upper with bottomportions of the upper 12 open for attachment with a finished platform20.

[0032] Shoe upper 12 is similar to conventional sandal-type uppers witha side portion 13 of the upper 12 shaped to accommodate pre-punchedholes around its periphery for hand-sewing. These pre-punched holes (notshown) are used, as will be described below, for attachment to afinished platform 20 in the construction of the completed shoe 10.

[0033] Shoe upper 12 is designed such that the lower perimeter of theupper 12 will fit within the contoured perimeter of the insole 40. Theterm ‘lower perimeter’ refers to the edge of the upper 12 that contactsthe insole 40 in the finished platform 20.

[0034] Outsole unit 50 is formed of molded polyurethane. In otherembodiments, the outsole unit can be produced of a plastic material, forexample, from a vinyl polymer, polyolefin, polystyrene, or a rubber. Theoutsole unit 50 provides a flexible and durable structure which resistswear. Outsole unit 50 includes a bottom walking surface 52 and anopposed surface 54 opposite to the walking surface 52. In thisembodiment, outsole unit 50 includes a separate heel portion 18. Theoutsole unit 50 is preferably designed to provide the silhouette andsupport for the shoe 10, which is aesthetically desirable andcomfortable for the wearer.

[0035] In the present embodiment, the outsole unit 50 is secured to anoutsole region 21 with heel 18 separately formed on the bottom walkingsurface 52. The outsole unit 50 of the present invention has a desiredthickness across its length.

[0036] The heel 18, illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 is attached to theinsole 40. The heel 18 includes a support base 19 to provide additionalheel support, lift, and non-skidability for the wearer. Notches 17formed on the walking surface of the support base 19 assist by providingcavities to enhance the non-skid features of the heel 18.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, the insole 40 and sock lining unit 30 aredescribed.

[0038] The insole 40 is a padded structure designed to providecushioning and support to a wearer's foot. The insole 40 includesseveral layers: a molded insole 44, a steel shank 60, a fiber tuck 43,and a foam insole cover 42. Each of these layers may be used foralignment with the other layer components. The insole 40 also includes aperipheral insole region 47 and an underside region 49 for attachment toa wrapper 22, described further below.

[0039] The molded insole 44 is formed of a rigid fiber material and iscovered by a metal reinforcement steel shank 60 which is embedded withinthe insole 40. The molded insole 40 extends generally from a heelportion 62 of the shoe 10 to the edge of the toe portion 61 of the shoe10 and provides the structural rigidity to the heel portion 62 of theshoe where it is most needed. Moreover, the molded insole 44 supportsthe heel 18, which is attached to the outsole unit 50.

[0040] The insole 40 includes a foam insole cover 42 which is made of afoam cushion material with a covering of leather of suitable man-madematerial, in the form of a sock lining unit 30. The foam insole cover 42is about 3 mm in thickness. The foam insole cover 42 is cushy and coversthe molded insole 44 and the steel shank 60 and is bound tightly to themolded insole 44 by an adhesive glue. Preferably, the foam insole cover42 is shaped in conformity with the molded insole 44, and is spaced fromthe stitches by about ½ inch about its periphery. When the variouscomponents of the shoe 10 are stitched together, the foam insole cover42 is held securely at its edges by the gluing.

[0041] As constructed, the foam insole cover 42 provides enhancedwearing comfort of the shoe 10. At the same time, it is protected fromwear and from being damaged while inserting or removing the foot.Depending upon the compressability of the foam, the shoe may providedifferent configuration and shapes, as a softer foam is used and presseddifferently in different portions of the shoe 10.

[0042] In this embodiment, the sock lining unit 30 includes twocomponents, a sock lining pad 32 and an inside layer made from a socklining forepart 33 connected to a skeleton sock backpart 34. The socklining forepart 33 and the skeleton sock backpart 34 is formed of apolyester material and covered by the sock lining pad 32 made, e.g., ofpigskin leather. As the shoe 10 is assembled, the sock lining unit 30has an opening 37 formed by the skeleton sock backpart 34. The opening37 allows heel 18 to be securely attached to the insole 40 by eithernails or other attachment means. In this embodiment, nails (not shown)are driven through an inner section 45 of the finished platform 20 andanchored into the fiber tuck 43. The opening 37 is then covered by thesock lining pad 32 so that the pad 32 is in direct contact with andcovers the foam insole cover 42. Consequently, opening 37 allows moreefficient cutting of the assembly materials such as those shown in FIG.2 and the access to the inner section 45 of the finished platform 20 ofthe heel 18 is facilitated. The sock lining pad 32 is made of the samematerial as the upper 12 and wrapper 22, thus giving a uniform,aesthetically pleasing look to the finished platform 20. Althoughleather is the preferred material, different materials may be used.Additional padding layers may be added to the socklining unit 30, asnecessary or as desired.

[0043] In some embodiments, the sock lining unit 30 may be decorativelyquilted to provide an aesthetically pleasing look to the interiorsurface of the shoe 10. Moreover, the sock lining unit 30 includes aperipheral portion 35 for attaching to the upper 12 and the wrapper 22described further below. This peripheral portion 35 becomes theperipheral side region 25 of the completed finished platform 20.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 3, the underside portion 54 of the assembledshoe 10 is illustrated. The walking surface 52 has the outsole unit 50which includes a recessed channel 51 that the contact surface of theshoe 10. The recessed channel 51 forms a notch 41 on the outsole unit50. Similarly, a recessed channel 53 on the heel 18 form a notch 17. Inessence, the recessed channels 51 and 53 protect the outsole unit 50 andthe heel 18, respectively, by ensuring that the contact between theground and these components are minimized and the shoe can be worn forprolonged duration.

[0045] The walking surface 52 further includes a wrapper 22 preferablymade of the same material as the upper 12. The qualities of thematerial, such as leather, should be tear resistant, or high qualitystitched-in textile made of strong fiber material. The wrapper 22includes a center seam 70 having stitches 72 on a first side 74 and asecond side 76 of the center seam 70. As will be described in greaterdetail below, the wrapper 22 functions as a bottom cover 80 for thefinished platform 20, which is secured to the underside region 49 of theinsole 40. The bottom cover 80 covers the underside region 49 therebyforming the underside portion 54 of the shoe 10. Specifically, thecenter seam 70 serves to secure the wrapper 22 to the insole 40 of theshoe 10. FIG. 4 provides a perspective view better illustrating thestitches 72 on the first side 74 of the center seam 70 and the othercomponents of the underside portion 54 of shoe 10. It can be seen thatthe bottom cover 80 has a shank area 23 for joining the bottom cover 23.

[0046] The construction method of this embodiment will now be describedin conjunction with the figures.

[0047] In preparation for constructing shoe 10, the upper 12 is cut,stitched and finished. The various components of the insole 40 areadhesively secured together. Namely, the molded insole 44 is adhesivelycombined with the steel shank 60 and the fiber tuck 43 in a compactfashion, securely attaching all surfaces of the these components to forma tight, well-formed insole 40. The molded insole 40 can be molded todifferent shapes depending on a desired heel height.

[0048] The bottom cover 80 will be marked for outsole location, andthereafter folded at the center seam 70 to be seamed and stitched. Thebottom cover 23 is seamed and stitched in the shank area 23 by stitches72. The outsole unit 50 is then cemented and joined by stitches 59securely attaching the outsole unit 50 to the leather bottom cover 80.

[0049] The bottom cover 80 is placed adhesively against the undersideregion 49 of the insole 40, ensuring proper alignment with the insole40. Excess material from the bottom cover 80 is marked and trimmed sothat the peripheral insole region 47 is covered adequately by the bottomcover 80. The bottom cover 80 also serves as a “wrapping strip” in amanner that permits the strip to be wrapped, or sidelasted, onto theinsole 40. The fitting qualities are engineered into the attachment ofthe bottom cover 80 “wrapping strip” to the peripheral sides of theinsole 40 and are dependent upon accurate stitching of this “wrappingstrip” to the peripheral insole region 47 of the insole 40.

[0050] Finally, the finished platform 20 is constructed by attaching thesock forepart 33 and the skeleton sock backpart 34 of the sock liningunit 30 to the insole 40. The sock forepart 33 and the skeleton sockbackpart 34 are adhesively placed onto the foam insole cover 42. Thesock lining pad 32 may be adhesively placed over the opening 37 of theinsole 40 either at this point of the construction process or after thefinished platform has been secured to the outsole unit 50. Because shoe10 can be made more comfortable by providing as many layers of cushionor foam inserts as desired, sock lining pad 32 is inserted into thefinished platform 20 so as to be disposed between the finished platformand the foot of the wearer. So that the sock lining pad 32 does notdislodge, tear or bend when inserting or removing the foot from theshoe, adhesive gluing or other secure means for attachment must beaccurately performed.

[0051] To form the shoe 10, the upper 12 is now hand-sewn usingpre-punched holes in the upper 12 and the peripheral portion 35 of thesock lining unit 30 thereby attaching it to the finished platform 20.The stitching used is an Opanka stitch series. In certain embodiments,the stitching or seaming is done by passing a thread or other suitablemeans through pre-punched holes, forming a criss-cross stitch pattern.The stitching continues along the entire peripheral side region 25 ofthe finished platform, joining the upper 12 to the sock lining unit 30and the wrapper 22. The joining of these components by stitching createsa one-piece “cavity”, the internal spacing of the shoe 10, which iscomfortable on the foot.

[0052] The heel 18 is secured and nailed to the heel region 62 of theinsole 40 covered with the bottom cover 80. Finally, the sock lining pad32 can be inserted now or before forming the finished platform 20, overinto internal spacing of the shoe 10 created by the upper 12 withinwhich the wearer's foot is to be inserted. The completed shoe is shownin FIGS. 1 and 4.

[0053] In a further embodiment as shown in FIGS. 5-7, a finishedplatform 20 is provided which does not have a bottom cover 80. Asillustrated in FIG. 5, the shoe 10 includes a shoe upper 12, an outsoleunit 50, an insole 40, and a sock lining unit 30.

[0054] The shoe upper 12, preferably made from leather, may have a vampof various types and styles such as closed toe or open toe designs. Theshoe upper 12 is attached to the insole 40, forming what will be theinternal spacing of the shoe. Shoe upper 12 may also include an innerliner sewed to the inner surface of upper 12 which can be fabricated ofmaterials (e.g., soft leather) selected to provide comfort to the wearerduring walking, in the same manner as described in connection with theprevious embodiment.

[0055] Shoe upper 12 is similar to conventional sandal-type uppers witha side portion 13 of the upper shaped to accommodate pre-punched holesaround its periphery for hand-sewing. These pre-punched holes (notshown) are used, as will be shown later, for attachment to a finishedplatform 20 in the construction of the shoe 10.

[0056] Outsole unit 50 is formed of molded polyurethane. Outsole unit 50includes a bottom walking surface 52 and an opposed surface 54 oppositeto the walking surface 52 which attaches to the insole 40. The outsoleunit 50 provides a flexible and durable structure which resists wear.

[0057] In this embodiment, the outsole unit 50 may be formed by aone-piece molded outsole integrated with a heel 18, thereby simplifyingthe manufacturing process of the shoe. The outsole unit has a desiredthickness across its length and includes an integrally molded,upstanding sidewall 57 extending around its periphery.

[0058] The opposed surface 54 of the outsole unit 50 is provided with anoutsole cavity 55 and the open cells 56 for bonding with the undersideregion 49 of the insole 40, and an additional cavity 71 to accommodatethe steel shank 60 (not shown). In general, this means that the outsoleunit 50 in the form of the outsole cavity 55 and the open cells 56provides sufficient structural integrity to support the wearer's weightwithout being crushed, while providing a reduced amount of materialcompared with a completely filled supporting outsole unit structure.

[0059] The outsole cavity 55 has a depth ranging from about 2 mm toabout 4 mm. The outsole cavity 55 is slightly larger than the size ofthe insole 40 to provide a peripheral fit for adhesively securing andbonding the insole 40 to the opposed surface 54 of outsole cavity 55.

[0060] The heel 18 includes a support base 19 to provide additional heelsupport, lift, and non-skidability for the wearer, in the same manner asdescribed in connection with the previous embodiment.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 6, the insole 40 and sock lining unit 30 aredescribed.

[0062] The insole 40 for this embodiment has a simplified construction.It includes a molded insole 44 and a foam insole cover 42 of about 3 mmin thickness. Each of these layers may be used for alignment with theother layer. The insole 40 may also include a platform in lieu of themolded insole 44. The molded insole 44 is then covered with foam insolecover 42. The insole 40 also includes a peripheral insole region 47 andan underside region 49 for attachment to the outsole unit 50 and thewrapper 22.

[0063] The molded insole 44 is formed of a flexible rubber material,extending generally from the heel portion 62 of the shoe 10 to the edgeof the toe portion 61 and the molded insole 44 provides a flexiblestructure for the shoe 10.

[0064] The insole 40 further includes a foam insole cover 42 made of afoam cushion material with a covering of leather of suitable man-madematerial, in the form of the sock lining unit 30. The molded insole 44includes a cavity 63 to accommodate the foam insole cover 42. The foaminsole cover 42 is cushy and covers the molded insole 44. Preferably,the foam insole cover 42 is approximately ⅜″ thick and is attachedsecurely within the cavity 63 of the molded insole 44 by gluing.Depending upon the compressability of the foam insole cover 42, the shoe10 may provide different configuration and shapes, as a softer foam isused and pressed differently in different portion of the shoe 10.

[0065] In this embodiment, the sock lining unit 30 includes only onecomponent, a sock lining 32. The sock lining 32 may be made from onepiece of any suitable material or it can be made from composite parts.The sock lining 32 may be decoratively quilted to provide anaesthetically pleasing look to the interior surface of the shoe. Thesock lining 32, as well as the upper 12, may be provided withcorresponding or matching surface ornamentation in order to impart tothese components a coordinated appearance or stitching pattern.

[0066] Moreover, the sock lining unit 30 includes a peripheral portion35 for attaching to the upper 12 and the wrapper 22, described furtherbelow. This peripheral portion 35 becomes the peripheral side region 25of the completed finished platform 20.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 7, the underside portion 49 of the insole 40 isillustrated. The underside region 49 includes a strip of the wrapper 22folded over the underside portion 49 and seamed or adhesively glued tothe peripheral edge 47 of the underside portion 49. The strip of wrapper22 is preferably made of the same material as the upper 12 such asleather, but any suitable material for the strip is appropriate. Asdesired, the wrapper 22 may be a connecting endless ring-like strip,especially in an embodiment such as that shown in FIGS. 5-7 rather thana strip of wrap with a finite length.

[0068] The underside region 49 of the insole 40 further includescavities 48 having a honeycomb construction. These cavities reduce theweight and provide added elasticity to the finished platform 20.

[0069] A construction method for making this embodiment will now bedescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 5-7.

[0070] In preparation for constructing shoe 10, the upper 12 is preparedas usual. The upper 12 may also include an opening for the toes as inthe previous embodiment. The upper 12 is marked with pre-punched holes(not shown) for hand-sewing with Opanka stitch series of dots forplacement of awl. The components of the insole 40 are adhesively securedtogether. Namely, the molded insole 44 is adhesively combined with thefoam insole cover 42, securely attaching them to form a tight,well-formed insole 40. The molded insole 40 may also be formed todifferent shapes depending on the desired heel height. In thisembodiment, the stitching is done by passing a thread through thepre-punched holes, forming a criss-cross stitch pattern.

[0071] The sock lining 32 of the sock lining unit 30 is thereafter cutin order to be placed above the foam insole cover 42. The peripheralportion 35 of the sockining unit 30 is marked with a series of dots forplacement of awl or pre-punched holes may be formed for eventualhand-sewing in Opanka stitch series.

[0072] Foam insole cover 42 is attached adhesively onto the cavity 57 ofthe insole 40. Wrapper 22 is seamed with the peripheral portion 35 ofthe sock lining 32, along the entire periphery of the sock lining 32. Inother words, the stitching continues along the entire peripheral sideregion 25 of the finished platform. This is achieved by forming aclosing seam (not shown) joining the wrapper 22 to the sock lining unit30 by placing the components to be seamed face to face and stitchingclose to the edge, which then results in a hidden seam. The closingseams can be performed by a sewing machine.

[0073] Consequently, a cavity is formed by joining the sock lining unit30 and the wrap 22 for placement of the insole 40. The insole 40 isplaced within the cavity, with the wrapper 22 adhesively fixed to theside 63 and peripheral edge 47 of the underside portion 49.

[0074] In other words, the wrapper 22 extends downwardly from the pointof its attachment at the side of the insole 40 and is lasted into theunderside region 49 of the insole 40. Thus, the peripheral edge 47 ofthe wrap 22 terminates at a point before covering the honeycomb cavity48. In effect, this enables manufacture of the finished platform 20 witha minimum quantity of leather and thereby reduces the material cost ofthe shoe.

[0075] Moreover, the strip of wrap 22 becomes almost like an extensionof the sock lining unit 30 in that it serves to anchor and hold thefinished platform 20 together.

[0076] Once so bonded to the insole 40, the wrap 22 is sealed securelyagainst the penetration of moisture and is guarded against scruffing andside blows imparted to the shoe 10.

[0077] Next, the peripheral edge 47 of the wrap 22 (FIG. 7) may beroughed in order to remove the leather finish of the wrapper 22 and toallow sole cement to penetrate the wrapper leather. The finishedplatform 20 is now completed for this embodiment.

[0078] The upper 12 is now attached to the finished platform 20, byhand-sewing the upper 12 using pre-punched holes, to the peripheralportion 35 of the sock lining unit 30 and attaching the upper 12 to thefinished platform 20 with Opanka stitch series.

[0079] To complete the shoe 10, sole cement is applied to the honeycombcavities 48 in the underside region 49 of the insole 40. For secure andtight bonding, sole cement is also applied in the outsole cavity 55,including the additional cavity 71 to accommodate the steel shank 60.This additional sole cement ensures adequate bonding of the insole 40into the cavity 55 of the outsole unit 50. For this purpose, a last (notshown) is then inserted into the resulting one-piece finished platform20 and the outsole unit 10 is pressed to form the secure bond. Thelasting is accomplished by slipping a last into the internal spacingwhere the wearer's foot is inserted. The last is used as leverage sothat the outsole unit 50 can be pressed to the finished platform 20 thuscompleting the construction of the shoe 10.

[0080] Although the invention, preferably relates to casual sandals,other fields of application are entirely within the scope of theinvention, especially in the broad sector of footwear manufacturing.Thus, a number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for making footwear comprising:providing a finished platform having a peripheral side region, theplatform including: an insole having an upper surface; a sock liningattached to the upper surface of the insole, having a peripheral region;a wrapper covering the peripheral side region of the finished platform;and, stitching the wrapper for seaming to the peripheral region of thesock lining; attaching an upper having a vamp to the peripheral sideregion of the finished platform subsequent to completing the finishedplatform; and, attaching an outsole unit to the finished platform. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the insole of the finished platformfurther comprises a foam insole cover, a fiber tuck, and a steel shank.3. The method of claim 1, wherein the outsole unit includes a heelhaving a height, and wherein the method further includes molding thefinished platform on the basis of the height of the heel.
 4. The methodof claim 2, further comprising attaching the foam insole cover to theupper surface of the insole.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein thewrapper forms a bottom cover having an outsole region marked forattachment of the outsole unit and a shank area for joining the bottomcover.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising positioning theoutsole region marked for attachment in the forepart of the bottom coverand cementing and stitching the outsole unit to the outsole regionmarked for attachment.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprisingseaming or stitching the bottom cover in the shank area of the bottomcover.
 8. The method of claim 5, further comprising adhesively attachingthe bottom cover to the peripheral side region of the finished platform.9. The method of claim 8, further comprising hand-sewing the upperaround the entire periphery of the finished platform with stitchesagainst the peripheral side region of the finished platform, therebyjoining the upper to the finished platform.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising adhesively attaching the sock lining to the foaminsole cover, wherein the sock lining comprises a sock forepart and askeleton sock backpart.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingpositioning a heel in a heel portion of the underside region of thefinished platform.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the sock liningunit further comprises a sock lining pad placed over a heel portion ofthe finished platform, covering the skeleton sock backpart.
 13. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the bottom cover is made of the same materialas the upper.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the stitches are Opankastitch series.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the insole is made ofmolded rubber material.
 16. The method of claim 1, further comprisingproviding a plurality of cavities in an underside region of the finishedplatform for reducing the weight of the platform and giving elasticityto the platform.
 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providingan insole cavity in the upper surface of the insole for attaching thesock lining unit.
 18. The method of claim 1, wherein the wrapper is astrip made from a same material as the upper, the wrapper attached tothe sock lining unit by Opanka stitch series.
 19. The method of claim 1,further comprising providing an outsole cavity in the outsole unit toaccommodate the finished platform and providing a shank cavity to fix asteel shank cavity in the outsole cavity, wherein the outsole unit ismade of molded rubber.
 20. The method of claim 1, further comprisingmarking the upper for with Opanka stitch series for placement of awl.21. The method of claim 1, further comprising pre-punching the upperwith dots for hand-sewing.
 22. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising placing the foam insole cover in the insole cavity andadhesively attaching the foam insole cover to the insole cavity.
 23. Themethod of claim 18 and 22, wherein the wrapper stitched to the socklining forms an opening for the placement of the insole, the wrapperadhesively fixed to a side and a bottom periphery region of the insole.24. The method of claim 23, further comprising hand-sewing the upper tothe sock lining unit by Opanka stitch series simultaneously stitchingthe finished platform to the sock lining.
 25. The method of claim 23,wherein a sole cement is applied to the underside region of the finishedplatform and an upper surface of the outsole unit for adhesivelyattaching the finished platform to the outsole unit.
 26. A method formaking footwear comprising: attaching an insole to a sock lining unithaving a peripheral portion for seaming and stitching; providing andsecuring a wrapper covering an underside region of the insole, thewrapper seamed to the peripheral portion of the sock lining unit,wherein the wrapper attached to the insole form a finished platformhaving a peripheral side region; securing an upper to the peripheralside region of the finished platform subsequent to completing thefinished platform; and subsequently attaching the finished platform toan outsole unit.